


Dude, I Need to Study

by wayward_sherlock



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Finals, Fluff, M/M, Seriously A LOT of Fluff, Studying, eew I hate both of those, so I’ll put fluff again, to make up for it, with a burning passion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_sherlock/pseuds/wayward_sherlock
Summary: Prompt:  we were studying across from each other in the library not acknowledging each other for hours and you passed out on my textbook so I’m screwed
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	Dude, I Need to Study

**Author's Note:**

> Since this week is finals for me, I decided to write something cute to help anybody else who’s thinking about just dropping out😂

Castiel hated December. His family life had never been all that great, Christmastime usually meaning a small box with poor wrapping paper, a small tree no taller than his waist, and a meager helping of turkey. He despised December for one other reason: _midterms._

As he walked towards the campus library in a flurry of snow, Castiel considered the consequences of just dropping out as opposed to actually studying. All of his pre-med classes were excruciatingly boring, his head a mixing pot of Latin terms, the human anatomy, and random physics problems he had no use for. Castiel shivered as a particularly violent gust of wind wove its fingers through his hair, and he pulled his jacket tighter around him. 

When he finally got to the warm library (so warm that he could feel that weird pain in his fingers that meant they were defrosting too quickly; not that he was complaining), Castiel shook off the snow and took in the peaceful atmosphere of his favorite place on campus. He might hate studying, but libraries had always been a favorite hideaway of his. He walked towards a near empty table and sat down, ready to begin his torture. 

Just as Castiel was opening his textbook, a whirlwind sat down across from him. He looked up to see a man about his age with a lopsided grin pasted on his face, green eyes shimmering at Castiel. Castiel felt his cheeks growing warm, and immediately stumbled to his feet to grab another textbo-well, to get out of making small talk with a beautiful stranger he had never seen before. (Castiel was not known for his social skills; in fact, he was known for his lack thereof.) 

When he returned to his seat, the stranger was nose-deep in a pretty thick textbook, and Castiel sat down with a suppressed sigh so he didn't disturb him. He looked down at his book and sighed, more audibly this time, and began to cram for winter finals.   
  


——

About halfway through his book, Castiel's eyes began to hurt. Staring at the plain black and white of the textbook was growing exceedingly monotonous, and he was just about to turn through his book for a diagram, that one he needed for cla-

_  
Thump._

  
Castiel held back a full-on laugh. The stranger across from him had slumped forward onto Castiel's textbook, snoring softly, his sandy hair glinting in the harsh lighting of the overhead fixtures. He was tempted to poke the stranger (he _did_ need to study, after all), but thought better of it. He wasn't learning anything anyways. 

Castiel scooted his chair back as quietly as he could, the wooden legs scratching at the carpeted floor. As Castiel stood up, the stranger _snorted_ in his sleep _,_ and it took everything in Castiel's power to remember he was in a public setting and couldn't burst out in laughter that reverberated around the room. He bit down on his finger, chest heaving in a silent fit of giggles, and was _barely_ able to suppress his laugh to an aggressive exhale through his nose.

He turned toward the massive shelves of the library, listening to the sounds of people getting lost in a world of words, following their favorite heroes as they journeyed far from home, accomplishing tasks and completing their adventures. (Granted, most of the population in the library was probably studying, clutching a cup of coffee like a lifeline, wishing they were literally _anywhere_ else, but Castiel was an optimist.) He heard pages turning, someone humming softly to a song he didn't recognize, a stifled fit of giggles coming from one corner followed by a "shhh!"

He wasn't exactly sure what book he was looking for, so he just grabbed a random one off the shelf and inhaled deeply, the smell of new and old books filling his nose. With a soft smile, he hurried back to his chair. 

The stranger was still asleep on Castiel's textbook, snoring quietly, and Castiel made the executive decision to leave him be. He sat down across from the sleeping man (Castiel refused to acknowledge the fact that his brain automatically called the stranger _sleeping beauty_ ) and began to read. The book he had chosen was _The Honeybee and Its Importance to Our Ecosystems,_ and if Castiel was being completely honest, it was positively captivating. He mindlessly twirled the stranger's hair with his fingers, completely and utterly grateful for the distraction from studying.   
  


——

Castiel hadn't realized how long he had sat there, reading about honeybees, until the librarian came up behind him and tapped him twice on the shoulder. Castiel started, barely refraining from letting out a string of curses to explain to the woman _just_ how much she had scared him. 

"Hon, I'm lockin’ up for the night. Time to wake up your boyfriend and get a move on before the storm gets too bad." Mrs. Moseley smiled kindly at Castiel, then looked almost wistful as she glanced at the stranger and Castiel's fingers that were still running small canyons through the sleeping boy's soft hair. Mrs. Moseley winked at Castiel before turning back the way she came. 

Castiel was flustered, pulling his hand back quickly enough that the sleeping boy whined softly in his sleep at the loss of contact. The stranger was most definitely _not_ his boyfriend. Castiel didn't even know his name, much less anything about him besides the fact that he was the most outrageously striking human being Castiel had ever laid eyes upon. He sighed softly, not wanting to wake the man, not knowing how. How _does_ one wake up a complete stranger they had been watching sleep for the past few hours? 

After some contemplation, Castiel decided there was no good answer to that question.

He was mentally preparing himself to gently rock the stranger's shoulders when the man let out a snort, followed by a groan. Castiel watched with wide eyes as the stranger sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, the side of his face red and lined with indentions from laying on the textbook for hours. His hair was sitting flat on the right side of his head, the top and left side totally messy from Castiel's wandering fingers. The boy smiled sweetly through a daze, mumbling a "Good morning, beautiful," in a deep voice that was still woven with sleep. 

Castiel wasn't sure if the sentiment was meant for him or just something the stranger said whenever he woke up, but his face instantly turned red regardless. The boy shook himself out of his sleep, then looked around, squinting.

"So, uh-hi. What time is it?" Green eyes landed back on Castiel, and Castiel looked away.

"I-Well, it's closing time now, I was about to wake you up to leave." Castiel gestured loosely to his textbook, which held a small pool of drool. The boy looked down at the textbook, a faint blush creeping onto his high cheekbones, fighting for dominance among the constellations of freckles there. "So it's-" Castiel looked at his phone "-nine forty five."

"Holy crap, did I fall asleep on your textbook?" The stranger said, looking more uncomfortable than he had the entire time Castiel had seen him. Castiel raised his eyebrows and shoulders in tandem, the sides of his lips pulling up in the slightest. "Shoot, I'm sorry, it's just studying is exhausting and I had just finished my shift at work-"

  
"It's fine, really, you saved me from hours of frustratingly staring at my book and still not comprehending anything. Besides," Castiel lifted his honeybee book up for the boy to see. "It wasn't all bad."

The stranger smiled, a genuine smile that caused his emerald eyes to sparkle, sending Castiel's stomach into a swoop. "I'm Dean." Dean stuck his hand out for Castiel, and Castiel shook it.

"Castiel, nice to meet you." Dean held onto Castiel's hand for a moment longer than necessary, but not long enough to mean anything obvious. 

"So, Cas, since the library's closing and I jipped us both a good two hours of study time, how about I take you out for coffee or cocoa and we head back to my place?" Dean said as he stood and began to gather his things. He lifted a hand to the back of his neck, the blush on his cheeks becoming more prominent as he realized the implication of what he said. "To study, I mean. Obviously. That's what I meant. Studying."

Castiel smiled, his heart _thump-thump_ ing in his chest. "I'd love that, Dean."

Dean grinned sheepishly, then reached for Castiel's coat that was lying on the table. He handed the tan trench coat to Castiel, which Castiel took with a shy look, his fingers brushing Dean's. 

  
They walked out into the snowy night in a comfortable silence, Dean looking up at the sky in awe. Castiel watched as Dean stuck his tongue out to catch a snowflake, then giggled when Dean made a triumphant noise when one landed on his tongue. Dean grinned at Castiel, freckles shimmering against his skin that was tinted red from the cold, green eyes framed by dirty blonde lashes that glistened with snowflakes. 

  
Maybe December wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it:))  
> Also, for those of you who have finals, you got this! I believe in you!!  
> For those of you who’ve already taken your finals, I’m extremely jealous and I hope you have a good winter break


End file.
